Exalted Warlock - 50 Chapter 11

“Please, good sir, just let me go and I promise I will pay you four times what you are getting paid.”

“What did I say, now?” Magnus asked in a much deeper and menacing voice. He knew he should clear up this misunderstanding and tell the man who he was, but Magnus wanted to get a bit of revenge for what the bastard put him through.

He just couldn’t even. The swine was literally fucking around while he had to risk his life just to get to him. Letting him squirm a bit should do the trick on placating him.

“You are so childish,” Codex remarked as she shook her head.

“Hey,” Magnus said, “Think of it like this; he is the reason why I had to risk my life to break in. So if you have to be angry at someone, then it is him.”

‘And not me,’ he silently thought.

“Don’t think you’re smart, young man. Our conversation is far from over, we will only be continuing it during a more appropriate time.”

Before Magnus could complain about the unfairness of it all, a voice came from right outside the main door. “Master, is everything alright?” it asked. “I believe I just heard some screaming.”

“Would you look at that, fun time is over,” Codex stated inside of Magnus’s head.

“Mmm, I do have one trick up my sleeve,” Magnus said as without any finesse, he held out his curved dagger and dangled it in front of the informant’s face. The gesture made it aptly clear what would happen to him if he went off-script. Taking a deep gulp, the snoop stuttered out, “I…I…Yes. Yes, I’m al- alright, good man.”

“Alright,” the voice answered back, taking the man’s answer at face value. “Sorry for disturbing your pleasure then, Master,” with that the owner of the voice started to walk away.

“Now, that wasn’t so hard was it?” Magnus asked in a teasing tone. If there was one thing all cowardly men desired, then it would be their life. They would literally do anything to keep it.

However, be that as it may, Codex was right, this was kind of childish and vindictive. Plus it had gone on for far too long. He needs to get his mission done and be on his way.

Looking down at the sniveling grown man, Magnus pulled down his half mask and addressed the man. “Honesty, Evrim, if I really was an assassin, there wouldn’t have been any of this nonsense. You, my conniving, little friend, would have been dead and lying in a pool of your own blood and filth.”

“How do you know my name? Who are you, truly?” the informant asked as there was a slight quiver in his voice. It was obvious that he did not immediately recognize Magnus.

The young thief raised his eyebrows, now that was insulting. Yea, he does play a supportive role in the crew, but still, he is a bonafide member of the Infamous Menace. At the very least you could give him the dignity of recognizing him by his features!

“I run with the crew of thieves that you know pretty well,” Magnus conceded, but there was no recognition on the informant’s face. “We rob high value targets,” Magnus continued with, trying to see if that should jog his memory.

Still, nothing but confusion and fear was written on Evrim’s face. With a deep sigh then added the final piece which should make it absolutely clear who he was. “We dangle the life of your daughter in front of you.”

That concession seemed to have done the trick as the informant’s face went through numerous expressions until it finally settled on plain, neutral. Looking up to face Magnus, he remarked, “Now, I remember you,” he said as he pointed up at Magnus. “You that hanger-on of theirs, right?” It was clear that it was no question at all, but a statement

Magnus bristled in anger at the clear insult towards him and the total disregard he held him in. Of course, the bastard would start falling back to his usual blustering, pompous self once he was not at knifepoint. He was already regretting not letting squirm a bit more.

Still he had to keep himself in check since he was the one that came looking for something. Without spitting any acid or fire, Magnus hissed out, “I came here looking for some information.”

“Of course you would be,” the informant sneered as he got up from the floor and started to dress himself.

Magnus ignored him the best he could, he continued on with his request, “I need to know what sort of healers does this city offer.”

“Healer, huh?” he said as he went over to his crystal decanter set. “Well, this city has a load of them, we could be here all day and night as I list off all the healers I know.”

Holding his hand up to stop him there, Magnus reiterated, “I only need the best, and they have to be magical in nature,” he gnashing out. The man was really started to get on his nerve, the only thing holding him back from strangling him was Bulut: who was waiting for him back in the hideout.

“Mmm,” he mumbled as he took a sip of the drink he poured himself. “You do not see a lot of folk like, and they are pretty hard to find.”

“Do you know any of them or not?” Magus asked, cutting to the chase. If he didn’t then they will have to go with Soykan tactics, going from door to door.

“Well, as a matter of fact, I do,” he replied as he took another sip of his drink.

“Spit it then,” Magnus shouted, at the near breaking point with him.

Wordlessly he held out his hand, making it clear what he wanted. Magnus stared at him as he reached at his side and took out a coin purse. Tossing it over to him, Magnus watched as he jingled the purse to his ears. “Are you happy?” Magnus growled.

“Wait,” the informant said as a look of consternation passed through his face, “I am missing 6 lions!”

Magnus studied the man and wondered if he was some sort of bat with how well he could hear. Regardless of his question, he gave his reply, “Those missing lions, as you so put it, went to the women.” Then with a snort he added, “What? Did you think I will pay for your pleasure.”

“You gave that whore my money?” the sneak bellowed. “That bitch doesn’t even deserve a single iron shim! Not after she abandoned me. No, she deserves a dozen lashes and if I was in charge of her, I would see to it personally.”

With an exasperated sigh, Magnus shrugged his shoulders and responded with, “What is done is done! Next time, find better company.”

“No, no. I can not accept it. I want my remaining gold.”

“Fine! I will pay you the god damn 6 gold lions.” Magnus shouted, giving in to the bastard’s concession. That was something he would never have given in to, but he just wanted to move things along and get the information he came for. If paying off his call girl would do the trick, then so be it.

“Good!” he intoned with a triumphant smirk, “Pay up then,” he added as he held out his grubby stinking hands.

“Do you think that I wouldn’t have already paid you, if only to shut you up and have you choke on it? Ha!” Magnus replied with an unamused chuckle. “I do not have the gold with me right now,” pointing at the purse the man held in his hands, “what you got there, was all I brought. Though don’t get your panties in a twist, I will bring the ‘6’ gold later.”

“Well then if that is how it is, then no can do.”

“What?!” Magnus said, unbelieving at what he heard.

“You heard me, boy. You know how things work; pay the price and you will get the information you are looking for.” Then spreading his hands out to either side, he amended in a magnanimous tone, “Though I could always wait for you to go collect my due amount and hurry back. I will wait.”

Magnus stayed silent for a long time, saying nothing or doing nothing, then finally he nodded his head as if coming to a decision. Turning to face the informant with stony cold eyes and an expressionless face, he asked in a voice without a single lilt in tone, “So it that how it is going to be?”

If the man had known Magnus any better than he would have realized that this was not the moment to mess with him.

“Listen up brat,” the man said with a sneer, shedding all falsehood and nicety. “Your masters may not have taught you any better or any of the finer points in life, which I could understand why, with all their coarseness and vulgarity. Yet, be that as it may, I want you to understand, even in your thick headed ways, that your masters and I have cultivated a mutual understanding of sorts in these couple of years. Plus this is not something that only affects them but every single… Ecchhh”

Cutting short the snitch’s long winded speech before he could finish it at all was his own gurgling noise as Magnus choked the life out of him. Speaking up as strangled the man single handedly, Magnus uttered in a bored tone with frostiness held in the edges, “I do not know if you take me for a fool or a child, but I bore of this endless tirade. I want what I came here for and I want it NOW!”

Letting go of the man before he died on him, Magnus waited and watched as he got his coughing fit under control. Once he did, he turned to face Magnus with hate-filled eyes and answered, “I will not give you anything you wretched little creature. Actually, I will do it myself that you get flogged by my guards and will do nothing about it. I will…-Crunch-… Ahhh”

This time the informant’s threats were cut short by Magnus breaking his nose and then him screaming like a little girl. It felt especially pleasing to Magnus to see his nose broken like his had been. “Not the answer I was hoping for,” Magnus said with a sad shake of his head.

Grabbing his broken nose which was squirting blood, he looked up to face Magnus with a defiant look in his eyes. “I will gut you where you stand and…Woof”

Once again he was curtailed from going off on a tangent by a kick to his stomach. Bending down and grabbing a handful of the man’s hair, Magnus disclosed the simple truth to the informant. “You know, I can do this all day, right?” he asked, which wasn’t a question but a straightforward statement.

“You will rue the day that you trifled with me, brat,” the informant replied as he tried to spit at Magnus who simply leaned to the side as the spittle passed right ahead.

Magnus held out his hand in a fist within the man’s sight, and interjected, “I do not think you understand the situation you find yourself in, Master Whisperer.

I could torture all day and your feeble would mean nothing to me. I could have you maimed or crippled and my so-called masters would not give a rat ass about it. I could even have you killed and not a single soul would miss you or shed a tear. Now, I could do all those things and so much more, and I shall if you do not give me what I asked for.”

That threat seemed to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back as finally the informant spat out, “Fine!”

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

The sneak didn’t reply to proving statement, but only carried on and parted with the information. “As I said before there are numerous physicians in this city with various degrees of proficiency. However, there are only a few magical in nature. Amidst them, there is one that stands out among the rest; he goes by the name of Lighttouch.

I do not understand some magic people’s weird naming sense but that is what he goes by. You can find him at his estate down in Joggutoft Heights. Though he only treats well-connected folks so I really do not know how you will get in, but there it is, the information you wanted.”

“Well, you let us deal with that,” Magnus said as he got up from the floor. “Also a deal is a deal, I will bring around your 6 gold lions, but don’t ever expect me to pay for your pleasure.”

With everything he needed finished, Magnus headed towards the side entrance he came from, as he got to the door, the informant shouted after him. “You better bring my money or else all business ties are severed. And I will not forget this affront you committed against me today. You will rue the day that you trifled with me.”

Magnus shook his head as he walked right outside the door, and thought to himself, ‘what the hell could he even do.’

—————————————-

“Now why did you have to do that?” Codex asked once they made their way out of the disguised building.

“He got on my nerves,” Magnus grumbled out. Yes, there could have been better ways to handle the situation but did he gall of that fucker just got on his nerve. “Anyways he had it coming,” he added, that little snitch had it coming real well.

“You know it is a lesser man who chooses violence,” Codex intoned.

“Ha! What are you now, buddha?” Magnus asked with a light chuckle.

“No, but I still have a point. You should have been in control of yourself and kept your cool.”

Feeling annoyed that Codex was not taking his side, he expressed his dissatisfaction and confronted her. “Control yourself? Ha! Would you have controlled yourself if somebody treated you that way– with none to little respect and contempt? The son of a bitch did not even treat Soykan, Bulut, Shui, and Taylan with any respect.”

“Look, I understand how you feel, Magnus. I, myself would have loved to have given him a few smacks of my own, but that doesn’t mean I should.”

“No, no, no. I know bastards like them, give them an inch and they will ask for a mile. Exhibit a, when I agreed to pay for something I shouldn’t have, the fucker goes right ahead and demands he wants it now. Now how do you deal with somebody like that? Simple, you put them in their place!”

“You have changed, Magnus,” Codex uttered in a forlorn whisper.

Magnus shook his head, “I haven’t changed Codex, I’m still me, I have only adapted. This isn’t Earth where there is some form of law, but Pandora– the wild west. Here you don’t have some regulation in place to protect you from some greedy broker.” Who Magnus was talking about didn’t have to be said.

“Also you can’t expect me to be safe all my life,” Magnus added, bringing forth their earlier discussion about his so called suicidalness. “When I said this world was the Wild West, I meant it. It is lawless and dangerous. I will have to be in harm’s way, constantly, to even get by. That is the simple reality of this life.”

“Well, if that is how it is, ain’t rosy and peach, then why did you mess with a dangerous man?” Codex asked, frigidly.

“Evrim, dangerous? Ha. There is nothing he could do against us, not only could we take off him in a jiffy, but he also has to consider his daughter.”

Once Magnus raised that point, she remained silent. That was not a concern they liked talking about and preferred to put in the back of their head.

Magnus too stayed silent but for a whole nother reason, this was a first him. He never went against Codex like this, he might argue with her or drag his feet, but she was always the mother hen and he the baby chick following along in her tracks.

Being rebellious was new and he chucked it up to all the teenage angst he was feeling! Even if he was mentally and spiritually an adult, he was still physically a teenager. Plus, there had to be something said about the corporeal flesh affecting him.

Trying to smooth things out, Magnus remarked, “I still hold myself in high moral standard, Codex. However, that does not mean I will accept bullshit from anyone. Anyways, friends can always agree to disagree.”

“I understand,” Codex replied with a sigh, “I just hope that you do not let your anger hold sway over you.”

“I won’t,” Magnus stated, “I will be as cool as a cucumber. You can change my name to Magnus cool as a cucumber.”

—————————————-

“What is going on here?” Magnus asked as he watched Taylan bag a man and lead him up towards the stairs. There were also five men milling about their hideout, that was something that never happened. Nobody could ever come down here except crew members, not even Ferah and her father could come down here.